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Dunstone Shiraz 2008 shines with wine awards!

Dunstone wines are handcrafted with passion by a small family owned team.

2008

In 2008 we started harvesting Merlot on 1st February, and harvested a total of 8 tons. The Shiraz for the Shiraz Rose was harvested on 15th February: 2.4 tons. We picked another 8 tons of Shiraz in March, which was unusually late but due to the relatively cool summer.

2007

In 2007 we harvested 7 tons of Shiraz, 8 tons of Merlot and another 2 tons for Shiraz Rose, which gave us 21 barrels Shiraz and 25 barrels Merlot. These wine were bottled in June.

2006

Our first harvest was in 2006. We harvested 1 ton of Shiraz for rose, 2 tons Shiraz and 1 ton of Merlot. That gave us 7 barrels of Shiraz and 3 barrels Merlot.

Our wine making process

Grapes are hand picked early in the morning at low temperatures, and are kept cool in the cold room at 5°C overnight. After destalking the grapes are hand sorted to take out all the leaves, green grapes, stems and snails! The whole berries go into stainless steel tanks to ferment for up to 3 weeks; juice is then barreled and the skins gently pressed using a traditional basket press.

We age our reds in 225l barrels (and two 300l for the shiraz). The Shiraz is aged in 70% French and 30% American oak. This year we have introdcued 2 Hungarian barrels for a more complex structure. For Merlot, we use only French oak. The wines age in barrels for up to 16 months.

The Shiraz rose was made from 100% Shiraz, picked at lower sugars. The grapes were harvested early in the morning, cooled down and destalked. They were then left overnight with the juice grapes, gently pressed with the basket press and fermented in a stainless steel tank.

Winery

Lena and her team tend to the vines, prune and hand select the best grapes for picking during harvest. During harvest, Lena organises the team early in the morning and ensures that all the grapes are picked before the temperature warms up. Lena then brings the grapes into the cellar and is quality controller during the hand sorting process. Once in the tank, Lena, Lee and Robert share the responsibility of pumping over and punching down the wine up to 6 times a day.

With Lena as cellar hand, Lee and Robert take on the role of wine makers, adding the vital ingredients, monitoring the temperatures levels and pumping over the wines, whilst Adi ensures that everything is running smoothly.

Our farm

Dunstone is a small vineyard lying at the foothills of the Bains Kloof Pass. The winery is set on the lower slopes of the estate of Bovlei Valley Retreat guest house.

Dunstone constitutes of 2.8 hectare vineyard planted in 2002 with Merlot and Shiraz cultivars.

Every aspect of maintenance and care of the vineyard is done by hand: no machinery goes into the rows of vines, not even a tractor!

DUNSTONE UPDATE

Dunstone Shiraz 2008 receives 5 stars in the 2010 John Platter Wine Guide!! This is the first Wellington wine to ever receive such an accolade. This wine recently also reaped in more 'shiny' medals. Gold at the International Wine Challenge in London and topping it with Gold at the old Mutual trophy awards! The newest addition is: Double Gold at Michelangelo awards 2010.

The next vintage release of our Shiraz 2009 , Merlot 2008 and Shiraz Rose 2010 mid-September. This will be perfect timing for the oncoming spring - a wine with it's crisp, fruity nose; ripe fresh strawberries! An excellent choice for a mid-day picnic or early evening!

We look forward to sharing our exceptional handcrafted wine with you!


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	WINES *Dunstone Shiraz 2008 shines with wine awards!* Dunstone Shiraz 2006 \| Dunstone Shiraz 2007 \| Dunstone Shiraz 2008 \| Dunstone Merlot 2006 \| Dunstone Merlot 2007 \| Dunstone Shiraz Rose 2007 \| Dunstone Shiraz Rose 2008 \| Dunstone Shiraz Rose 2009 Dunstone wines are handcrafted with passion by a small family owned team. 2008 In 2008 we started harvesting Merlot on 1st February, and harvested a total of 8 tons. The Shiraz for the Shiraz Rose was harvested on 15th February: 2.4 tons. We picked another 8 tons of Shiraz in March, which was unusually late but due to the relatively cool summer. 2007 In 2007 we harvested 7 tons of Shiraz, 8 tons of Merlot and another 2 tons for Shiraz Rose, which gave us 21 barrels Shiraz and 25 barrels Merlot. These wine were bottled in June. 2006 Our first harvest was in 2006. We harvested 1 ton of Shiraz for rose, 2 tons Shiraz and 1 ton of Merlot. That gave us 7 barrels of Shiraz and 3 barrels Merlot. Our wine making process Grapes are hand picked early in the morning at low temperatures, and are kept cool in the cold room at 5°C overnight. After destalking the grapes are hand sorted to take out all the leaves, green grapes, stems and snails! The whole berries go into stainless steel tanks to ferment for up to 3 weeks; juice is then barreled and the skins gently pressed using a traditional basket press. We age our reds in 225l barrels (and two 300l for the shiraz). The Shiraz is aged in 70% French and 30% American oak. This year we have introdcued 2 Hungarian barrels for a more complex structure. For Merlot, we use only French oak. The wines age in barrels for up to 16 months. The Shiraz rose was made from 100% Shiraz, picked at lower sugars. The grapes were harvested early in the morning, cooled down and destalked. They were then left overnight with the juice grapes, gently pressed with the basket press and fermented in a stainless steel tank. Winery Lena and her team tend to the vines, prune and hand select the best grapes for picking during harvest. During harvest, Lena organises the team early in the morning and ensures that all the grapes are picked before the temperature warms up. Lena then brings the grapes into the cellar and is quality controller during the hand sorting process. Once in the tank, Lena, Lee and Robert share the responsibility of pumping over and punching down the wine up to 6 times a day. With Lena as cellar hand, Lee and Robert take on the role of wine makers, adding the vital ingredients, monitoring the temperatures levels and pumping over the wines, whilst Adi ensures that everything is running smoothly. Our farm Dunstone is a small vineyard lying at the foothills of the Bains Kloof Pass. The winery is set on the lower slopes of the estate of Bovlei Valley Retreat guest house. Dunstone constitutes of 2.8 hectare vineyard planted in 2002 with Merlot and Shiraz cultivars. Every aspect of maintenance and care of the vineyard is done by hand: no machinery goes into the rows of vines, not even a tractor! DUNSTONE UPDATE Dunstone Shiraz 2008 receives 5 stars in the 2010 John Platter Wine Guide!! This is the first Wellington wine to ever receive such an accolade. This wine recently also reaped in more 'shiny' medals. Gold at the International Wine Challenge in London and topping it with Gold at the old Mutual trophy awards! The newest addition is: Double Gold at Michelangelo awards 2010. The next vintage release of our Shiraz 2009 , Merlot 2008 and Shiraz Rose 2010 mid-September. This will be perfect timing for the oncoming spring - a wine with it's crisp, fruity nose; ripe fresh strawberries! An excellent choice for a mid-day picnic or early evening! We look forward to sharing our exceptional handcrafted wine with you! Dunstone Shiraz 2006 \| Dunstone Shiraz 2007 \| Dunstone Shiraz 2008 \| Dunstone Merlot 2006 \| Dunstone Merlot 2007 \| Dunstone Shiraz Rose 2007 \| Dunstone Shiraz Rose 2008 \| Dunstone Shiraz Rose 2009

	DUNSTONE - EXCEPTIONAL HANDCRAFTED WINES Wellington, South Africa